23 comments

  4. Happy New Year, all you rednecks,reprobates, revolutionaries, revisionsts, neocons, neoconfederates, neoclassicists, neophytes, neotenics and neoAmericans!

  6. If you’ve never read it, Orwell’s “A Nice Cup of Tea” is a refreshing and pleasant little essay that is both an example of eloquent yet simple English composition AND shows jusy how seriously the English take their tea.

    Best wishes to you all for a happy and successful 2015.

  7. For some reason, the pond leads to a disconnect when it comes to food…

    I spent a summer in England taking a class in Shakespeare at a small college. There was a chef on staff, and for the majority of our time there the small group I was with (I think it was half a dozen; don’t remember anymore) were the only ones there, so we ate like kings.

    The single bad meal we had was on the 4th of July, when the chef attempted American cheeseburgers for us. I don’t know what you have to do to kill a hamburger that badly, but he managed it.

  10. Coals to Newcastle.

    We had some Germans working temporarily in Michigan (sending a year at HQ before returning to Germany to run the subsidiary there). You’d be amazed at how many people would bring them Wursts, Weinerschnitzel, and beer steins.

    Naturally, what they wanted to experience was hot dogs, cake, ice cream, pizza, and anything but beer made anywhere near North America.

  11. Not to mention how much money the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has made while flogging the East India brand as the world’s most evil corporation.

  12. While I was still in the Navy a German Destroyer pulled in to Norfolk where I was stationed. I can’t remember why, but I went into the bowling alley one evening and the staff was cussing because of a group that was bowling and didn’t understand enough English beyond what it took to pay for bowling. The staff had no idea where they were from and didn’t recognize the language. I saw some tell tale signs that made me think they were probably German, and after listening to them speak a bit found I was right.

    While my German was starting to get a bit ragged after 5 years of non-use, I was able to get things settled down and all were happy.

    All were happy until Fritz decided he wanted sample US beer. I warned they wouldn’t like it. I offered them Heinekin, but it was clear that just made them want to spit. US Beer it was.

    So, up to the snack bar and I asked the guy what he thought was the best American beer he had. Don’t recall the brand, but I bought 4 12oz cans (no ponies, alas) and passed them out. They pulled the tabs and pulled a big mouthful.

    They had a very hard time swallowing. They threw the rest away and told me they would listen next time.

  15. It’s also similar for Americans traveling. You try to warn them about German beer (they don’t do “lager”), and they insist on having a second.

  17. Well, I’m mostly milking an old stereotype. But using the wrong kind of burger meat, pan cooking instead of griddle, and a few other things can result in very disappointing hamburgers.

  18. These are the kind of stories that make me proud to live in Oregon, where we have beer that would make Germans jealous.

  20. It wasn’t always thus. When my father was Stationed at Adair near Corvallis, the guys that had come from Germany groused about the beer in Oregon. Things have changed quite a bit with craft beers and a lot of Germans having immigrated and brought their knowledge of brewing with them. We have a local German Brewmeister, originally from the Black Forest, that is actually a former Marine as well.

    I’d bet the German Sailors would find little improvement in the NORVA Bowling Alley, however.

  21. I’ve been to Virginia, and sampled as many different beers as I could. They actually have a pretty good selection now. I don’t know about one specific bowling alley, but Flying Dog and Old Dominion are good. We actually have Dogfish Head on tap here now! And it fully earned that position, next to dozens of Oregonian brews.

  22. The alley is on the Naval Base. The Exchange system might have gotten a few local beers, but somehow I doubt it. Just the nature of the military exchange system.

    There was no local beer scene in 1974 that I knew of.

  23. My understanding is that the beer crafting in Oregon got a commercial start in the ’80s, got retail traction in the ’90s, and became a cultural phenomenon in the aughts. There were probably people home brewing in 1974, but I’m not sure it was entirely legal back then.

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